Jigawa State tax stakeholders have called for an end to multiple taxation and alleged harassment by tax officials, while urging intensified public enlightenment on taxpayers’ rights and obligations to ensure effective implementation of the 2025 Tax Reform Acts and restore public confidence in the state’s revenue administration.
The stakeholders also urged the Jigawa State Internal Revenue Service (JIRS) to establish accessible complaint channels to protect taxpayers’ rights, resolve disputes and restore public confidence in the tax system.
The recommendations were contained in a communiqué issued at the end of a five-day pilot implementation of the Taxpayer Grievance Redress Mechanism (TGRM), held from October 5 to 9, 2026, at M-TOWN Hotel, Dutse.
The participants stressed that effective public education on tax obligations, taxpayers’ rights and available complaint channels was essential to improving compliance and ensuring the smooth implementation of the tax reforms.
They called for regular training of tax officials and civil society organisations (CSOs) to improve complaint handling, documentation and engagement with taxpayers.
The stakeholders further urged JIRS to make the grievance redress mechanism accessible to women, persons with disabilities, small businesses and informal-sector operators, particularly those facing difficulties accessing tax information and administrative services.
They also advocated regular consultations among the revenue service, CSOs, business associations, professional bodies, community leaders and relevant government institutions to address recurring complaints and improve service delivery.
The programme was organised by the International Budget Partnership (IBP) Nigeria through the Partnership for Agile Governance and Climate Engagement (PACE), with funding from UK International Development and implementation by DAI, in collaboration with JIRS.
The initiative, under the Strengthening Grievance Redress Mechanisms for Improved Revenue Governance Grant, is designed to protect taxpayers’ rights, promote administrative justice, strengthen accountability and improve public confidence in revenue administration.
During the pilot exercise, participants tested grievance-handling tools, assessed institutional capacity and explored practical ways of resolving tax-related complaints in line with the 2025 Tax Reform Acts.
The communiqué identified multiple and double taxation, the implementation of Tax for Service (T4S), alleged harassment by tax officials, difficulties in obtaining evidence of payment, and inadequate tax education as major challenges confronting taxpayers.
It also highlighted manpower shortages and the lack of accessible grievance redress officers in rural communities as barriers that could prevent taxpayers from seeking timely remedies.
To address these challenges, the stakeholders called on JIRS to institutionalise the TGRM by appointing designated officers and establishing clear procedures for receiving, investigating, documenting and resolving complaints.
They said the mechanism should specify timelines for acknowledging complaints, providing feedback and escalating unresolved cases to ensure transparency and accountability.
The communiqué further recommended a monitoring system to track complaints received, cases resolved, pending grievances, resolution timelines and taxpayer feedback, while protecting the confidentiality of personal information.
The stakeholders called on the Jigawa State Government and relevant institutions to provide the resources and leadership needed to sustain the mechanism and incorporate lessons from the pilot into routine tax administration.
They maintained that an effective grievance redress system would help reduce avoidable disputes, encourage voluntary tax compliance and strengthen trust between taxpayers and revenue authorities.
The participants acknowledged the contributions of the Jigawa State Government, IBP Nigeria, PACE, JIRS, participating CSOs and other partners, urging them to sustain their collaboration to improve taxpayer services and revenue governance.